It has been fun watching all the young birds coming to the feeders. This has been a particularly successful breeding season, warm enough, food enough and no late June snow. It seems as though all the summer birds have raised successful broods. Even the grey-headed juncos have managed to raise a few of their own, not just one big baby cowbird as they seem to have done for the past several years.

One of the sure signs that summer is coming to an end is the plethora of yellow wildflowers coming into bloom and the sudden reappearance of gopher mounds in your yard. Pocket gophers are small native mammals that spend most of their lives below ground. There are several species and subspecies of them, but you can’t tell them apart except for minor differences that the experts find in the laboratory.

It was just one play, but it was the one that kept the Evergreen Cougars on their toes for the rest of the night.

When Moffat County junior quarterback Bubba Ivers broke free around the right edge for a 68-yard TD run on the Bulldogs’ second offensive play, Evergreen had failed to contain its biggest threat in the teams’ season opener on Aug. 26 at Evergreen High School. It didn’t happen again.

DENVER — About the only thing that was hotter than cyclist Levi Leipheimer this week, especially on Aug. 28 — the final day of the week-long inaugural USA Pro Cycling Challenge — was the weather.

It was another hot one, as temperatures scorched an overflowing crowd of more than 200,000 during Stage 6 from Golden to Lookout Mountain into downtown Denver, with it topping out at a record 96 degrees. But it couldn’t stop Leipheimer.

BOYS GOLFPeterson-led Cougars take second place at Deer CreekLITTLETON — Kyle Peterson carded a career-best 1-over 73 as Evergreen placed second at the 4A Jeffco League match at Deer Creek Golf Club on Aug. 29.

Valor Christian took first place, while D’Evelyn was third, one shot back of the Cougars.

Adam Zuckerman shot a 75, Sam Theil and Luke Hadsell each shot an 86, and Brody Coe, in his first varsity match, scored a 98.

Cougars quarterback Noah Ansley threw two touchdown passes as Evergreen opened its 2011 season like it did its 2010, with a victory over Moffat County on Friday night at Evergreen High School.
Keenan Prouty added a 28-yard field goal in the fourth quarter of the 17-7 victory.
Moffat County opened the scoring with a 68-yard TD run by quarterback Bubba Ivers.
For more on this game, check out next week's Canyon Courier.

The Deer Creek Challenge doesn’t cut cyclists any slack. In the midst of the second annual “Toughest Century in United States,” participants climbed 12,751-feet in elevation. Even the final stretch to the finish line is uphill.

“To put on something that is the most on anything, is unusual,” Pat Downing, the ride founder and director, said. “To be able to do this in our own backyard, and have it be the hardest in the country, is great.”